Jean Lurçat (1888-1966), Ceramic Plate With Animal Decoration, Sant Vicens, 1950s

A ceramic plate with a green and brown glazed finish, decorated with a fantastical animal. Signed Jean Lurçat for St. Vicens, under the base. Good condition. Jean Lurçat was a French painter, ceramicist, and tapestry designer, born in Bruyères (Vosges) on July 1, 1892, and died in Saint-Paul-de-Vence on January 6, 1966. He owes his fame primarily to his tapestry work, the language of which he profoundly renewed in the 20th century. Between 1953 and 1965, Jean Lurçat collaborated with Gumersind Gumila to produce tiles, dishes, pitchers, and plates of exceptional quality. Lurçat experimented with a freedom that was forbidden to him in tapestry. His pieces feature his cosmic universe as their essential motifs: moons, suns, and imaginary beings. Lurçat used ceramics as a true space for experimentation, allowing him to test new patterns and new color combinations to then transpose them into his tapestry work.